New York: Moreau Lake State Park

What a jewel in the New York Park System!  Moreau Lake State Park was on the way and seemed to be a convenient stop.  Well, it is more than convenient, it is a delight!

Moreau Lake from the Picnic Area

Exiting the roadway you enter a forested drive uphill to the park headquarters.  After registering for a campsite we followed a curving road up and down and up again to the campground passing the lake along the way.  

Compare...
White and Black Birch

There are several sets of camping areas and we were on the hill rather than down by the lake.  However, there are lakes everywhere.  After setting up on this cloudy cool day it was time for a walk to the view Moreau Lake in person.  The trails are quite interesting with many climbs, descents, and curves.  They pass through the woods and open to small lakes and streams.  

Lovely trails... over the hills, up the mountains,
and through the woods

After a short walk we encountered a beaver lodge that appeared to be empty at the moment.  This was a smallish lodge awaiting a fresh coat of wood.

Beaver Lodge

With a plethora of trees in the forest, the beavers must be happy.  It was relatively easy to find gnawed trees along the ponds.

Beaver lodge building materials

The trails are multi-use for hike, cross-country ski, and snowshoe access.  I guess you could bicycle these trails but not me!  The trails that rim the ponds are narrow while others twist through the wooded forest.  However, many trails are wide tree-lined paths that have steep inclines and descents which are probably great ski trails.

The limbs on the White Pine are fascinating

This is a migratory bird flyway and as you might expect, birds like humans migrate up and down the east coast.  We viewed and heard several owls, non-migratory, along with a beautiful red-tailed hawk, Cooper's hawk, ducks, coots, and geese.

Moreau Lake with a nice beach for swims

At the lake we toured the nature center and spoke with the park ranger about the birds and beavers.  The lake was too cold for me to enjoy a swim so we admired the bathers, beach, and beautiful scene before returning to the campground.

Had to capture a few of the flowers
that grace the trails

The campground is heavily wooded, dark, and on this day quiet.  It was the first of the week so the weekend crowds had returned to their normal lives leaving only a few vacationers to enjoy the solitude of the woods with calls of crickets and owls.

Neighboring tents barely visible from our campsite

As is usual, our cats like to walk.  We hiked several trails under the moonlight before retiring for the evening.  However, early AM is another favorite walk time and for Billy 5:30 is pretty early but he too enjoys the early morning cat walk.

Early morning walk...
Yes 5:30 AM